A homeless man has been charged with racially aggravated assault after he allegedly kicked a pregnant Muslim woman in the stomach and caused her to lose her unborn twins.

David Gallacher, 37, is accused of assaulting the mum-to-be, who did not know she was expecting children, outside a Co-op store in Bletchley last August.

The unnamed woman, who is a mum-of-four, was forced to flee her home in fear as a result of the assault.

Mr Gallacher, of no fixed abode, also allegedly attacked a man who tried to intervene during the incident, Thames Valley Police said.

The female victim was taken to hospital where she was told she was carrying twins. Days later, doctors confirmed she was no longer pregnant.

Mr Gallacher will appear in front of magistrates in March charged with one count of assault causing actual bodily harm, one count of assault by beating, two counts of racially/religiously aggravated assault, and three counts of assaulting a police officer when he was arrested.

A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “The charges relate to two incidents. The first was on Saturday 6 August 2016, when two victims, a 34-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man were assaulted and racially abused by a man near the Co-op on Water Eaton Road, Bletchley.”

They added that the second incident on 14 September related to “when three police officers were assaulted as they arrested a man.”